The Reliability Of Online Reviews
Wake Up To Money this morning on BBC Radio 5 was talking about the reliability of on-line reviews.
So I sent in the following text.
As a coeliac, I find if I type “gluten free restaurant” with the city I’m in, I find somewhere good. Perhaps coeliacs don’t want to drop their peers in it!
It wasn’t read out directly, but someone else had said the same thing and the two messages were combined.
The method has certainly found me some very good gluten-free meals.
Monarch Goes Bust
It is not a good time for airlines with Ryanair in a mess and now Monarch has gone bust.
The CAA has announced a web site at www.monarch.caa.co.uk, where passengers should look for information.
I checked the site out of curiosity and it seems to do what the chair of the CAA said it does on the BBC!
The internet would seem to help in these situations.
Even Vauxhall Corsas Have 4G Wi-Fi
This is the case according to adverts at the side of the pitch in the England Slovakia game at Wembley tonight.
I don’t drive, so I don’t care, but it appears that this increasingly features on cars.
Bombardier have fitted this feature to Crossrail’s Class 345 trains, so will we see it increasingly fitted to all trains, taxis and buses?
It’ll certainly be something that passengers on public transport will expect.
Internet Age Just Starting, Says Tech Guru
The title of this post is the same as the title of a short article in the Business section of the Sunday Times.
It is a summary of an interview with Marc Andreesen onside the Business section.
Some points raised.
- The next wave of technological disruption will affect law, medicine and construction.
- The basic cost of starting an Internet company has fallen dramatically
- There’s something really special happening at the intersection of medincine and computer science.
I certainly agree with the title of the article.
The Labour Party’s Fantasy Economics
Today, the Labour Party has added a rail fare cap to their list of give-aways to all and sundry.
In the 1970s, I was asked to do a programming job for the Chief Management Accountant of a major clearing bank, who are still trading successfully, so my work didn’t toss them down the toilet.
I programmed a system, so that the Bank could work out how much every one of their management functions would cost. The program could be run so that the Bank could see how much say a pay rise for staff would add to the cost of clearing a cheque, in all of their branches. As you can imagine costs were very variable and the reasons for some of the high costs in some branches appeared in the tabloid newspapers.
It was fascinating and three things happened.
- I learned a tremendous amount about the way bankers and accountants look at figures, which I put to good use in Artemis
- I learned a lot about the way bankers think.
- But above all, I gained a good friend, which was sadly cut short by the Chief Management Accountant’s early death from cancer, We regularly celebrated our fruendship in Mother Bunches Wine Bar.
I also decided to move my Bank Account to the Bank and by luck, I was introduced to a Bank Manager, who played a large part in my life.
- He became Metier’s Bank Manager and helped us to be the success we were.
- He went on to be Business Banking Director of the Bank.
- He loaned me the money to buy my first Porsche and then introduced me to the joys of owning a Lotus.
- But as with the Chief Management Accountant, we became firm friends and put the world to rights in many convivial lunches.
Sadly, he died a few days before C.
These two friends taught me a lot about banking.
But I remember one conversation with the Bank Manager in particular.
We were talking about lending millions of pounds to companies, with strong Chilean, Israeli and South African ownership links. He said they were always difficult and risky because of the politics and determined individuals involved, but you satisfied this risk by adding a percentage or two to the deal.
Since then I have been involved in both a small finance company and Zopa; the peer-to-peer lender, as an investor, and the same principles apply.
Just as they do when the banks are lending to countries with dodgy finances.
So what makes the Labour Party think that they any sane Banker will fund their socialist fantasies, by loaning them billions at zero or low rates?
Protecting Your Company, Organisation Or Workgroup From Viruses, Ransomware And Other Malware
I am not a computer malware expert and since 1970, I have generally worked alone, with one or more computers , not connected by a network.
But after all the problems of the last few weeks with ransomware, I feel that one of my experiences of a few years ago, should be put into this blog.
A Daisy Demonstration
The Research Department of a major corporation were interested in using my software; Daisy to analyse data being collected in their local offices.
So I was summoned to their offices to the South West of London, so that they could have a proper demonstration.
I found something extremely sensible that I’d not seen before.
The Department had the usual corporate network, as you would expect, with logins, malware protection, but for my demonstration I used another computer.
The Lonely PC
We moved to a lonely PC sitting on a desk in the corner. It had the following characteristics.
- Adequate power.
- A recent version of Windows.
- Direct connection to the Internet through a landline.
- No connection to the main network.
- A directly connected printer.
- A selection of browsers.
- Microsoft Office, but no e-mail program.
The only thing, that the computer lacked was a large screen.
Uses Of The Isolated Computer
The isolated computer was used for the following.
- Demonstrations
- Checking out ideas and web sites in suspect locations.
- Testing software.
I think that after the recent ransomware attacks, emergency Internet access could probably be added to the list of uses.
Rules For Using The Computer
The Department had setup a series of rules for the use of the computer.
- The computer could be booked by anybody in the Department.
- Comprehensive data transfer rules using physical devices had been setup.
- No software could be installed on computers on the main network, without full testing on the isolated computer.
- The computer was regularly checked for any viruses or malware.
- If any nasties were found on this computer, it was immediately restored to a pristine state.
Incidentally, whether it was for my benefit or not, it was one of the cleanest corporate computers, I’ve used for a demonstration.
Benefits
I was told that since the computer had been installed, malware problems on the network had decreased.
But how much was this down to a constantly improving and rigorously updated malware-protection system for the Department’s main network?
An Ideal System
A lot would depend on the type of company and their needs.
The system I used needed a big screen, as often a demonstration needs to be seen by several people.
I also think, that with a large screen, it could be a valuable tool in Corporate Communications.
Some might think, that this type of computer, which bypasses the corporate network, could be used by those with access for nefarious purposes.
Years ago, my software; Artemis was used to do the Project Management on Chevaline. The Ministry of Defence was worried that the Russians might use some unknown technology to read the electromagnetic radiation from the cathode-ray tube of the VDU. So I suggested they put the desk-sized computer in a shielded internal room. But what about the door, they said! I suggested that they get Chubb to put one of their best locks on the door.
A few weeks later, when a software problem struck, I went home with a complete copy of the project on a disc.
I had encoded the data using a personally-designed method that I still believe is unbreakable. But that is another story! Especially, as I’ve never signed the Official Secrets Act!
As this tale illustrates, there are ways to enforce security and holes will always appear.
Is Wi-Fi Becoming A Curse?
I usually only switch wi-fi on when I need it, on my Samsung phone. And when I don’t, I switch it off immediately.
Yesterday, I forgot to switch it off and this morning as the bus went through the Angel, the phone had switched itself to an O2 advert and it was trying to get me to install fourteen copies of updated apps.
I immediately, switched wi-fi off and didn’t install any updated apps, as in fact, I only use one app and that never seems to update itself.
How many people just update all the apps, they’re asked to do and inadvertently load a piece of malware, that empties their bank account?
Remember, it is in your phone service provider’s interest that you keep updating, as this generally increases your bill.
I also have no financial details on my mobile phone. Anybody who does, deserves to lose all their money!
Don’t Get A Mask To Rob A Bank – Just Buy The App
This is the title of an article in The Sunday Times.
It talks about an App called Blackshades, that can be bought for three hundred pounds, that enables a thief to seize control of a victim’s computer and steal their passwords.
Hopefully, I’m protected but it’s a frightening concept. My passwords aren’t stored on the computer, but in my Mark 1, 1947-vintage core store, which is the safest place for them.
It also says that infiltrating a smart-phone or tablet can be easier than targetting desktops, saying that many criminals set up malicious hotspots in public places.
For that reason, I only use wi-fi in trusted locations and usually have it switched off on my smart phone. I never use wi-fi that wants my e-mail address as giving it usually ensures, I’ll get marketing e-mails, which I class as spam.
I also check my bank account and credit cards every day or so, so that if I’m robbed, I know it first.
From what I can ascertain, I think that contactless payments are pretty safe, especially in London, where there are billions of transactions because of public transport.
So I use contctless wherever I can locally!
The Anonymous Widower 